This position is located in the Network Office of the VA New England Health Care Network (VISN I). The position reports directly to a member of VISN 1 leadership, including the Network Director, Chief Medical Officer and Service Line Managers. Must meet interchange agreement to be eligible for this temporary promotion. Excepted service employees are not eligible for temporary promotions in competitive service.

Duties

Incumbent conducts projects and performs assignments as a Health Systems Specialist for VISN 1. Conducts studies and special projects to implement health care delivery programs and improve the efficiency of health care operations throughout the VISN. Conducts analyses of all aspects of current or projected health care programs throughout the VISN for effectiveness in achieving planned goals and objectives and meeting the needs of Veterans and general public. Works with the VA staff to develop statistical data to develop and implement better health care programs, streamline and improve the efficiency of operations, to increase services to our veteran patients and their families, and ensure VISN health care programs throughout the VISN. Works with VHA Headquarters staff to obtain and distribute information. Gathers and collects information to fulfill tasks and deadlines from headquarters. Provides any required information to increase services to veteran patients and their families. Ensures program goals, objectives, and operations are realistic. Prepares internal instructions, operating policies, procedures, guidelines, etc. concerning assigned programs and recommends required changes and adjustments to ensure proper and adequate accomplishment of major health care program goals and objectives. Conducts management surveys, audits, special projects, etc. and provides advisory services to operating or management officials. May be required to develop and formulate budget requests for coming fiscal year. Objectives, work processes, staff needs, and funding requirements change substantially from year to year, requiring considerable re-budgeting. Reviews submissions from Medical Centers to Network office to assure accuracy, clarity, and compliance with VHA policies. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Negotiable Telework: Yes, as determined by agency policy. Virtual: This is a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (PC VISN)/PD90120A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit: Non-bargaining position NOTIFICATIONS: * Covered by locality-based comparability pay * Incomplete applications will not be considered. * Current permanent VHA and VISN employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50. SF-50s must identify position title, series, grade, step, tenure, type of service (competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required for higher grade previously held interchange agreement.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by 30 calendar days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/15/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirements Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following: Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. OR Special Provision for Inservice-should this be within Service or something else?) Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: - Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; - Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and - Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementAnalysis and Problem SolvingCommunicationData Management Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary, but there is a moderate amount of walking involved, with infrequent bending, lifting, and stooping. Incumbent' s vision should be sufficient to read from a computer screen for prolonged periods without excessive fatigue. Input data into the computer requires prolonged use of keyboard. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address VISN 1 VA New England Healthcare System 200 Springs Rd Bedford, MA 01730 US
• Name: Anthony Cappiello
• Phone: (401) 317- 6359
• Email: [email protected]